WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JANUARY 18, 2018 13
LETTERS AND COMMENTS OP-ED
THINK
BEFORE YOU SPEAK,
PRESIDENT
TRUMP
President Trump needs to carefully
choose his words when giving his
opinion on issues that he discusses
with his staff .
Using an expletive to describe
certain countries from which many
immigrants have come from is certainly
not very tactful, especially for
a world leader such as the president of
the United States.
While he is most certainly is entitled
to his opinion, he must learn to
tone down his comments so that he
does not end up creating an international
maelstrom. The last thing we
need is more unnecessary tensions
with other nations, since we already
are experiencing that with countries
such as North Korea and Iran.
John Amato,
Fresh Meadows
THE CASE
AGAINST
RECREATIONAL
POT USE
With respect to any marijuana
regulation and taxation bills in New
York state which would legalize
recreational marijuana similar to
alcohol with state regulation and
sales taxes, I believe this is the most
stupid liberal policy ever proposed
in a legislature.
This is in of the damning evidence
against two other legalized substances:
tobacco and alcohol, which,
although regulated, are responsible
for many diseases, deaths and social
costs to any society.
Specifically, recreational use of
marijuana has been shown to have
serious medical and psychological
effects, and no sane legislator would
be so oblivious to the facts just to
generate tax revenue.
What shall the state do with the
excise tax of $50 per ounce of marijuana,
and the locally authorized
sales tax on retail sales? Well, the
bill will fund another social program
initiative: a portion of the
state tax revenue collected by the
sale of marijuana would go into
substance-abuse programs and
job-training programs in low-income,
high-unemployment communities.
This is absolutely illogical to be
legalizing a drug and thus encouraging
recreational drug use
in general, and concomitantly
apportioning the taxes thereof to
drug treatment programs. Let’s
put the kibosh on any recreational
pot plans immediately.
Joseph Manago, Flushing
Editor’s note: New York state
currently allows for the use of
medicinal marijuana — consumed
through pills, oils or vapors,
not through smoking — for the
treatment of various chronic
ailments and diseases including
multiple sclerosis, Crohn’s disease
and even certain types of cancer.
These points were not addressed
in the original letter.
Furthermore, the bill mentioned
would legalize pot for recreational
use as several other states across
the country have already done.
The legalization and taxation
of marijuana, much like the
legalization and taxation of
alcohol or tobacco, is not equal to
government encouraging people to
use the drug.
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comments are not necessarily
those of this publication or its staff.
The arts are here to stay
BY SCHOOLS CHANCELLOR
CARMEN FARIÑA
When I accepted the job of
chancellor, I knew right
away that the arts would
be a focal point of my tenure.
The arts are not an add-on or simply
an extra-curricular activity; a rich
arts curriculum strengthens school
communities and teaches students
skills and passion, cultivates hobbies
and can instill confi dence and creativity
that students will keep with them
for the rest of their lives.
This is evident at P.S. 111 in Long
Island City. When I visited in September
to celebrate the opening of a new
cafeteria, I was stopped in my tracks
by the sound of students belting at the
top of their lungs. I instantly turned
around to see where the noise was
coming from.
As I walked down the hallway, the
singing became louder until fi nally
I found the classroom – a group of
25 fourth-grade students practicing
scales. I interrupted and asked the
teacher what they were working on. It
was still only the third week of school,
but they were already rehearsing for
their holiday concert in December.
“We have a lot of work to do,” the
teacher said with a smile.
She was right — they had a long way
to go. But that didn’t matter, because
every student in that classroom was
beaming with joy. This was the music
teacher’s fi rst year at the school and
her class represented the culmination
of hard work by the principal, Ms.
Jaggon, to revamp the school’s arts
instruction.
Just two years ago, P.S. 111 was on the
state’s list of persistently dangerous
schools. The school was also struggling
to engage parents and morale
was low. Needless to say, a drastic
change was needed and the arts have
played a critical part in that eff ort.
The school now has a dance teacher
and a new dance studio, a visual arts
teacher, a music teacher and a theater
teacher. Parents are excited to be in the
building where student artwork hangs
on every wall and a performance or
concert happens with great frequency.
Most importantly, students have become
more confi dent, motivated and
curious to try new things.
These are the types of investments
that we’re seeing schools make in every
borough. In fact, over the past two
years, school-level spending in the arts
has increased by over $45 million. And
this year, we have a record high-number
of certifi ed arts teachers in our
schools – the highest in more than a
decade, with nearly 3,000 citywide.
Schools like P.S. 111 are the reason
this administration invests in the arts
each year. Because we know that the
arts help strengthen school communities,
foster creativity and critical
thinking skills and help create an inclusive
environment for all students.
Now, aft er 52 years of working in
New York City schools, I will be retiring
in the coming months. It gives
me great pride and satisfaction to see
this reinvigorated passion for the arts
from our youngest learners through
high school. The arts are not a frill, and
they are here to stay.
A LOOK BACK
Here’s a real history lesson from
the Ridgewood Times archives.
That’s former Borough President
Claire Shulman reading to a
class of fourth-graders at P.S.
88 in Ridgewood in February
1990. Shulman, of course, made
numerous visits to Queens public
schools during her tenure as
borough president, from 1986
until 2001. Send us your historic
photos of Queens by email to
editorial@qns.com (subject:
A Look Back) or mail printed
pictures to A Look Back, ℅
Schneps Communications, 38-15
Bell Blvd., Bayside, NY 11361. All
mailed pictures will be carefully
returned to you.
